Minami Moe timidly approached Ayaka.
"I-I'm sorry, Ayaka-chan… We couldn't help you at all…"
She had not been able to speak up when Yasu hurled harsh words at Ayaka.
She seemed to feel guilty about that.
Ayaka forced herself to smile as if nothing was wrong.
"It's okay. Besides, just knowing you were thinking of helping me in your heart makes me happy."
"Ayaka-chan…"
At that moment,
"Ugh, the atmosphere is getting pretty bad now, huh? Both Kirihara and Yasu-kun. Just as I thought, being all buddy-buddy was impossible~"
"Ah, Asagi-san…"
The girl who suddenly joined the conversation was Asagi Ikushima.
She was B-rank but possessed an excellent inherent skill.
She disliked being called by her family name.
So she had to be called by her first name.
Then, one member of Asagi's group emerged from the bushes.
"Asagi—"
"Yeah?"
"Poppo isn't here after all."
"Ehh~ For real~?"
"For real, for real."
Ayaka carefully checked Asagi's group.
…She was not there.
There was no sign of Kashima Kotobuki.
"Asagi-san! What happened to Kashima-san!?"
Before she realized it, her tone had become almost interrogative.
Asagi glanced at Mayumi Mamiya.
It was a look that urged her to explain.
Mamiya pursed her lips slightly and spoke in a lazy tone.
"During that kaiju parade earlier, some of our group got separated… and then Kotobuki said she would go look for the ones who got separated and chased after them, but…"
Mamiya glanced at her companion, Kanou Isuzu.
The conversation was passed along like a bucket relay.
Isuzu, who had been handed the topic, laughed lightly.
"Ah, you know? She was shouting the name of the separated kid really loudly, so we thought it was perfect… We used Poppo as bait and quietly slipped away♪ Tehe♪"
Isuzu stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Wha—"
Kashima Kotobuki had gone to search for a classmate.
Isuzu had ignored her and left her behind.
Not only that, she had used her as bait to save herself.
Before Ayaka could speak, Isuzu's expression changed dramatically.
"B-but monsters are scary, you know! There were huge ones wandering around! Eh!? What!? Class rep… you're blaming me here!? What's with that unpleasant look!? That's horrible! Uee… *sniff*… so mean… Ayaka, you're so mean… Hiiin, Seiko…"
Isuzu burst into tears and threw herself into Mamiya's chest.
A wave of criticism toward Ayaka spread through Asagi's group.
"Hey, isn't Ayaka being too harsh?"
"Everyone puts their own life first, obviously!"
"Isuzu's judgment wasn't wrong!"
"Everyone, hold on! Listen! Ayaka, who has been super privileged since birth, wouldn't understand how we feel!"
Ayaka held it in.
Now was not the time to dwell on what had already happened.
"Asagi-san."
"Yes?"
If she was going to talk, it had to be with the group's leader, Asagi.
"Let's go look for Kashima-san."
"Got it. Good luck~"
"Eh? No, um… Asagi-san and the others should come too…"
"Eh? No way~ Look, the Four Holy Saints who went out searching earlier are already back~. Going any deeper would be dangerous, right? Realistically speaking."
"B-but Kashima-san is your comrade, right!?"
"So what if she dies?"
A sudden, dismissive look.
Coldly,
mercilessly,
Asagi said just that one sentence.
But she immediately returned to her carefree tone.
"Nyahaha~ That was a joke! Don't take it seriously~ Sorry, sorry! Did that sound like the Goddess when she's in a bad mood? For some reason the Goddess is especially harsh only toward you, Ayaka~! If you have any complaints about the Goddess, come talk to me, okay? I'll at least listen to your grumbling~?"
"More importantly, we need to search for Kashima-san—"
"No~ Realistically that's too tough. Honestly, I don't want to lose Kotobuki either~. You know how there are cases of people getting lost? If you go too deep, even the rescue team ends up in danger, right?"
"But right now we might still be able to save—"
"When you weigh one Kotobuki against the danger to the majority… well, we have no choice but to give up on searching~. Ah, personally I do want to go help, okay? But… when you think about it calmly, shouldn't we leave this to the Four Holy Saints or Nyantan, who know more about this world than us and are stronger than us~? Ah, but this is just my opinion, okay? Don't worry, I'm not trying to force it on anyone. Forcing opinions on people is wrong."
"…!"
She could not argue back.
In the end, Ayaka was left speechless.
(In that case, I will go search alone…)
But the Four Holy Saints rejected the idea.
She had heard that the Takao sisters were also missing…
No, actually, she felt like those sisters had disappeared from sight even earlier.
Where had they been, anyway?
Kashima Kotobuki.
The Takao sisters.
Through the search by the Four Holy Saints and Nyantan, everyone except these three had regrouped.
"The Four Holy Saints will conduct one more search before the sun sets."
Agito, the leader of the Four Holy Saints, announced this to everyone.
However, the Demon Zone seemed strange today.
Therefore, today's expedition would be called off.
Nyantan added that.
Ayaka boldly volunteered for the search party.
But she was rejected again.
She mulled over the words the eldest of the Four Holy Saints had just said to her.
"We're simply stronger than you~. Ah… sorry, but I'll be blunt? Right now you would just be a burden. You still have a lot of room to grow… so take care of your life."
Feeling frustrated, Ayaka leaned her back against a tree trunk.
The clouds let out a low rumble.
The rain began to fall.
"…Status, open."
[Ayaka Sogou]
LV 143
HP: +1935
MP: +3178
Attack: +20483
Defense: +2862
Stamina: +3331
Speed: +1611[+500]
Wisdom: +1712
[Title: S-Rank Hero]
The status displayed clearly even in the rain.
She stared at it blankly.
(I am still so weak… that is why…)
She hung her head and hugged her spear tightly.
The words of the powerless do not reach anyone.
Yes,
they do not reach.
(I will become strong… stronger than anyone… more, more, more, more, more, more, more… so I can protect everyone… everyone… stronger… —)
◇[Kashima Kotobuki]◇
"—Ah, haa… haa…!"
Kashima Kotobuki was running through the violently pouring rain.
The heavy rain collided with branches and leaves, producing loud sounds that struck her ears.
Even those sounds now beat her heart with terror.
She stopped, placed both hands on her knees, and looked back.
"Ha… haa, haa…!"
(Did I manage to escape…!?)
Along the way, she had encountered monsters several times.
Somehow she had escaped so far.
But she had focused too much on running and lost the way back.
She glanced down at the short sword at her waist.
(I was marking the trees with X's at the beginning…)
At first she had been searching while carving X marks on tree trunks.
But after encountering monsters, she no longer had the luxury.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
(Is Isuzu-san okay…?)
She wanted everyone to return safely to the original world.
Ayaka Sogou had said that.
Kotobuki had wanted to help Ayaka.
To return to the original world without missing a single person.
(Sakura-san's wrist seems to have reattached thanks to the Goddess… and no one in the class has died yet… no one has died… so—)
"Ah."
She reflexively covered her mouth.
"No… that's wrong…"
That was right.
There had already been a death.
Touka Mimori.
However—his death felt strangely faint.
The reason was probably not just his usual lack of presence.
It was because no one had actually seen him die.
Everyone had only seen him get transferred to the Ruins of Disposal.
That was why his death lacked a sense of reality…
"..."
She thought about why she had reflexively chased after Isuzu Kanou.
The guilt had been tormenting Kotobuki more and more each day.
She could not forgive herself.
Her own weakness.
(But, still…)
What filled her chest now was terror.
And… for some reason, a growing sense of urgency.
She had to get back quickly.
She had to return quickly.
She would die.
(I am going to die…)
The fear of death relentlessly crushed Kotobuki's will.
The monsters of the Golden Demon Zone.
She had seen them up close and received a vivid shock.
The despair of that swarm marching like a storm.
The overwhelming pressure as they appeared with those ferocious growls.
She had truly wanted to cover her ears and crouch down on the spot.
But if she stayed there, she would die…
Most of the monsters in the great migration had disappeared somewhere.
Even so, some had strayed from the main group.
It seemed those kinds of monsters were still wandering around.
(Is someone coming to search for me…? In times like this, is it better not to move…? Am I really useless after all…?)
Her thoughts scattered and grew weaker.
(I know… I am not like Sogou-san… but I want to be useful… Even in a horrible time like this, I want to be useful to Sogou-san, who can still care about others—)
Suddenly,
She thought she heard a low, muffled growl.
——————Zok.
Her body began to shake violently.
Her legs froze and would not move.
That was clearly not a human voice.
It was a beast.
What a terrifying growl.
Moreover,
Even in this rain that seemed to wash everything away—
The smell of blood was drifting over.
(! I have to hide…! Quickly—)
Rustle.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…"
A blood-soaked figure emerged from the bushes.
It was close.
It had already come this near.
She had not sensed its presence at all.
Kotobuki collapsed on the spot, dropping to her knees.
Slowly, fearfully, she raised her face.
"————Ah."
What hit her when she faced reality was a direct plunge into despair.
What stood there was,
"…What? A human… in a place like this?"
It was a humanoid monster with the head of a leopard that spoke words.